Sunday, September 8, 2013

Pan Seared Wild Pacific Halibut w/ Lemon Wine Caper Sauce

This even I made simple Pan Seared Wild Pacific Halibut w/ Lemon Wine Caper Sauce. I fixed this recipe this past spring and loved it, so I decided to make it again, only slightly simplified because I used Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter rather than mincing fresh garlic and parsley for the sauce. If you don't have Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter, then saute 1 minced clove of garlic in your skillet after removing the halibut to a plate and add some fresh parsley to the sauce when you reduce it. Below is the simplified version I made this evening.

I heated my skillet with a little olive oil on medium-high heat, seasoned 3 halibut fillets (about 1 pound total) with a little sea salt and black pepper and then cooked them for 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and transferred them to a plate and covered them with foil.  I normally add 1 large clove of finely minced garlic to the pan at this point and saute it for about 1 minute (but did not since I had the garlic and herb butter). Instead, I poured 1/4 cup of dry white wine (Chardonnay) into my hot skillet and reduced it by half (about 1 to 2 minutes). After the wine reduced, I whisked in about 2-3 tablespoons of Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter until melted; then added salt and pepper to taste, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, (if using plain butter, add 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley), about 1/3 cup of sliced miniature San Marzano tomatoes (or substitute sliced cherry tomatoes) and 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest and then heated it about 2 minutes while swirling the sauce in the pan.  I placed the halibut on the plate and topped it with the sauce and sprinkled with a little more fresh parsley and lemon zest.  The fish was cooked perfectly and very moist and tender. The sauce added lots of fresh flavor and complemented the fish perfectly. I served it alongside my modified Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash, only tonight I substituted 1-1/2 cups of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese instead of the cream cheese and Parmesan that usually goes into it and added a couple more tablespoons of cream. It turned out delicious and tasted like a smooth version of macaroni and cheese. We had french green beans with toasted almonds along with our meal. I snapped a couple photos for you to see below. Enjoy!



5 comments:

Patricia said...

My favorite is halibut and king salmon but even at Costco these last 2 years halibut is so expensive! I won't eat any fish that isn't from U.S. / Alaska - China scares me. !!Looks great!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Patricia -- you are right, it is pricey, even at Costco. I think I paid $16.99/lb for the halibut we had last night. But, I would rather eat it less frequently than to buy the other stuff from "who knows where". I once bought a big bag of frozen organic broccoli at Costco and just happened to notice after we had eaten about half the bag that it was from China -- I tossed it in the trash and wondered why in the world we would ever by getting broccoli from China??? I was disappointed. Halibut and salmon are my top 2 favorite fish, too. I used to love blue crab meat...but all that is from foreign waters too now it seems and it does not taste the same as the crab I ate growing up from the Eastern Shore. Thanks! :-)

Patricia said...

OMGoodness we are twins! It is shocking when you find stuff that is from China that should be from USA! I used to be able to get the good crab in a can that was from USA too. I haven't looked in a few months but last time I looked it was all from China (or foreign waters) also! It would be nice if we had more fish products from USA at reasonable prices. I hate to be rude but we don't know what other countries consider "wild caught."
Thanks for your response yesterday! xoxoxo

unter der laterne said...

Found out from our produce person that your friendly SAFEWAY sells garlic from China, although the famous garlic from Gilroy is only one hour from San Francisco!
What bothers me is that the customer is not aware of it. It is not right!
By the way I am having the Spinach pie for lunch!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Barbara! Wow, it doesn't make sense, does it? To have a local supplier like Gilroy, yet import garlic from China? Is it that much cheaper -- and if so...WHY??? I used to shop at Safeway when I lived in the metro DC area -- I don't think they have them in Georgia, or at least not around here. If their garlic comes from China...I'm sure there are many other stores that do the same thing. I think they should have to disclose it, on a sticker, sign or something. LOL...hope you enjoyed your "spinach pie" lunch. :-)